Richard Bellamy, Professor of Political Science and Director of the European Institute, University College London

Chair: Simon Glendinning, Reader in European Philosophy, European Institute, LSE and Director of the Forum for European Philosophy

This lecture contrasted liberal and republican models of democracy and representation and applied them to the EU. The inadequacies of EU level democracy are traced to it only being able to sustain a political ontology of singularism suitable for liberal democracy as opposed to the more demanding ontology of civicity required by republican democracy. This limitation results from the EU lacking a demos and consisting instead of multiple national demoi. However, the liberal system of democratic representation cannot legitimize the non-Pareto improvement decisions that are increasingly made at the EU level. The only basis for a European ontology of civicity lies in valorising republican democratic decision-making and representation within the different demoi of the Member States in the EU’s system of governance.

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